Influenced by post-war expressionism and alla prima masters, Olivier Forgues’ oil portraits seek to identify, express, and leave traces of a shared human experience in an increasingly fragmented world; his dynamic brushwork navigates the tension between vulnerability and candor.

At the core of Forgues’ practice is a queer phenomenology of celebrating the male body. Ashewing classical, polished, heroic nudes, these portraits are incredibly intimate. Shoulders slump naturally. Hands are placed without the sitter considering “where should I put them”. Their gaze averts or confronts us with a quiet defiance. The erotic charge is subtle, but present, and refracted through the vulnerability and tenderness that Fourges is continually searching for.

In an era saturated by digital images, especially those hyper-retouched, endlessly circulated, and algorithmically sorted, these alla prima paintings insist on the irreducibility of physical presence by the very material application. The visible brushwork records the duration of looking, the negotiation between painter and model, the friction of oil against surface.

Forgues is tapping into the atmospheric quality of the queer experience. Iconic, yes, but in a subtle way. Privately iconic. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, and now in  Toronto, Ontario, Olivier Forgues obtained a BFA from Concordia University and an MBA from McGill University.